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UNCP Students Present Research at BASF Conference

May 1, 2019

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Biology

Marica Thomas is the first place winner for her poster: Varroa destructor Impact on Temperature Regulation in Apis mellifera Colonies

Wednesday, May 1st, 2019: Five undergraduate students from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke were selected to present at BASF in Raleigh for a scientific poster session. Having arrived at BASF at 8:30 AM, we watched a safety video of the facilities. Afterwards we were brought to a conference room where we were given drinks and pastries to eat before listening to Drs. Peter Eckes and Nigel Armes about what they do at BASF and about the history of BASF. Later we were given a tour of BASF and had a chance to visit one of the biology labs where they research different kinds of weedicides. Once the tours were over, we had a lunch break, and after lunch the poster session began. Both undergraduates and graduates were presenting their research while judges came around. At the end while the judges made their final decisions, students were given a career mentor to meet with to ask questions and explore their research and future career paths.

The undergraduate research projects presented at BASF by UNCP students were: Comparisons of Native Bee and Honeybee Floral Preferences for Pollinator Conservation, Utilizing Habitat Enhancements as a Conservation Management Tool to Promote Pollinator Populations, Differences in Pollen from Southeastern North Carolina Bee Hives in the Same Environmental Conditions, and Varroa destructor Impact on Temperature Regulation in Apis mellifera Colonies. UNCP presenters were Abigail Canela, Sally Cannon, Marica Thomas, Cody Eubanks, and Brandon Herron. Out of nine undergraduate presenters, Marica Thomas received first place with a prize of $3,000. We would like to thank our mentors Drs. Kaitlin Campbell, Rita Hagevik, and Martin Farley for the opportunities to conduct research and for the opportunity to present our research.